Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies

These Gluten-Free Lemon Thumbprint Cookies are made with a soft lemon cookie base and a dollop of homemade lemon curd for a double-dose of lemon goodness!

Yes, we’re back again with ANOTHER lemon recipe!

These gluten-free lemon curd cookies are MADE for lemon lovers! A soft, cakey lemon crinkle cookie with a delicious homemade lemon curd filling = a double dose of lemon in every single bite. YES PLEASE.

These little beauties are a delightful change of pace from your typical chocolate chip (though, you know I love those, too!). I love how sunny, and fresh they taste. It’s like a sunshine cookie!

And the best part: they’re easier than you think! Here’s what you need to make a batch of these adorable gluten-free lemon thumbprint cookies

Simple Ingredients To Get Started:

• Our Tangy Homemade Lemon Curd. I promise, it is 1000% worth it to make from scratch. You only need lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, butter, and vanilla to make it, and the flavor is UNBELIEVABLE. Fresh, vibrant, and so sunny!
• Lemon Zest & Lemon Juice. You’ll need both the fresh lemon zest and fresh lemon juice for the best lemon flavor.
• Butter. Some butter helps give these lemon cookies a lovely cakey texture.
• Sugar. For moisture & sweetness.
• Eggs. Room temperature eggs blend in well and give the cookies just the right chew & puff.
• Vanilla & Almond Extract. This combo is my secret ingredient! The vanilla and almond both play up the lemon flavor.
• Gluten-Free Flour. Measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend is easy and gives the cookies a great texture. We HIGHLY recommend King Arthur Measure For Measure Flour for this recipe, but if you use another brand, make sure it contains xanthan gum!
• Baking Powder. Make sure it’s fresh!
• Salt. To balance the flavor. Don’t skip it!
• A Little More Sugar & Powdered Sugar. Just like with Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies, you’ll roll the cookie dough balls in both granulated sugar and powdered sugar (aka confectioners sugar). The granulated sugar helps the powdered sugar stick, and the powdered sugar crinkles as the cookies spread and it’s gorgeous!

How To Make Lemon Curd Cookies, Step By Step

First, Make The Lemon Curd

1. Set Up A Double Boiler. Add 2 inches of water to a small saucepan and set out a glass heatproof bowl that fits on top of the saucepan without touching the water. Bring the water in the saucepan to a simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Combine. In the heatproof bowl, combine sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs. Whisk to combine well, then set the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water. Whisk, dropping in the cubes of butter. (They’ll look a little clunky or separated at first, but will smooth out as the mixture heats up)
3. Cook lemon curd 20-25 minutes, or until it reaches 170 degrees F and it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. (If you run a finger down the back of the spoon, it should leave a clear trail, and the lemon curd should be thicken enough to stick to the spoon)
4. Strain the lemon curd through a fine mesh sieve into a glass bowl or container.
5. Stir in vanilla extract & cool to room temperature.
6. Cover & Chill. Press plastic wrap or food wrap down onto the surface of the lemon curd (this prevents a film or “skin” from forming) and chill at least 2-3 hours, or until totally chilled. Lemon curd will keep 1 week in the refrigerator or frozen for 2-3 months, so you can make it in advance, if needed.

Then, Make The Cookie Dough

1. Combine Sugar & Lemon Zest in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers for 30-60 seconds, until the sugar is fragrant with the aroma of lemon and the sugar is evenly coated in zest.
2. Add Melted Butter and mix to combine using the paddle attachment or a spatula.
3. Mix In Eggs, one at a time, until the dough is smooth.
4. Add Lemon Juice, Vanilla & Almond Extract and mix to combine.
5. Add Dry ingredients. Mix in the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt and stir just until the dough is combined. At this point, the dough will be soft, more like a thick brownie batter than a scoop-able dough. This is normal!
6. Chill Cookie Dough 2 Hours to allow it to firm up to a scoop-able texture. (This also prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven–don’t skip this step!)

Assemble & Bake The Cookies

1. Preheat & Prep. When your lemon curd and cookie dough are chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. (This way you can alternate pans with each batch) Place the granulated sugar in a shallow bowl and the powdered sugar in separate a shallow bowl.
2. Scoop & Roll. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop 2-Tablespoon balls of cookie dough. Roll each ball smooth, then drop into the granulated sugar. Roll to coat, then roll in powdered sugar to coat completely (you can use your fingertips to press the powdered sugar onto the cookie a bit, if needed). Place 6 cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet and return remaining dough to the fridge.
3. Indent. Use the back of a 1/2-Tablespoon measuring spoon to indent the cookies in the center of each cookie dough ball, carefully pressing to only reach about halfway down (you don’t want to press the spoon all the way through the cookie dough ball!)
4. Fill. Measure 1 teaspoon of lemon curd into the well of each cookie dough ball. (It will spread into an even layer as the cookies bake.)
5. Bake & Cool. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes per batch in the preheated oven, until cookies have spread, the powdered sugar has crackled, and cookies look just set around the edges. Let the cookies cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat this process with remaining cookie dough, alternating cookie sheets with each batch, until all cookies are baked.
6. Serve & Store. Enjoy right away or store in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days. You can also freeze cookies for 2 months. (I prefer these cookies chilled, like lemon bars!)

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The BEst Lemon Curd Cookies

Measure the Flour Carefully! For these gluten-free lemon curd cookies to rise and spread properly, it’s important that you don’t pack extra flour into the cookie dough. For best results, I recommend an inexpensive kitchen scale to weigh the flour (always!), but if you don’t have one, use the scoop & level method to spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Don’t pack the flour down!

Can I Use Store-Bought Lemon Curd Instead? I don’t recommend it here. Making your own lemon curd will give you the best flavor and color. It’s 100% worth making yourself, I promise!

What’s The Best Way To Store These Cookies? We recommend keeping them in the fridge, since it makes them taste like a cold lemon bar. They keep best when stored in a single layer (so you don’t damage the lemon curd filling layer), but you can freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag later.

🌟 Leave a star review below when you try our Gluten-Free Lemon Thumbprint Cookies recipe! We can’t wait to hear what you think!

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